"The British Medical Journal ran a very revealing article recently, entitled Selling Sickness. In it, the authors stated:

“Pharmaceutical companies are actively involved in sponsoring the definition of diseases and promoting them to both prescribers and consumers. The social construction of illness is being replaced by the corporate construction of disease. Although some sponsored professionals or consumers may act independently and all concerned may have honourable motives, in many cases the formula is the same: groups and/or campaigns are orchestrated, funded, and facilitated by corporate interests, often via their public relations and marketing infrastructure. A key strategy of the alliances is to target the news media with stories designed to create fears about the condition or disease and draw attention to the latest treatment. Company sponsored advisory boards supply the ‘independent experts’ for these stories, consumer groups provide the ‘victims’ and public relations companies provide media outlets with the positive spin about the latest ‘breakthrough’ medications.” (Ray Moynihan, Iona Heath, David Henry, 'Selling Sickness: the pharmaceutical industry and disease-mongering', British Medical Journal online, BMJ, 13th  April  2002 )--Steve Ransom